Add Page Numbers to PDF
Processed in your browser. The document is never uploaded.
Choose a PDF and set the options.
Page numbers are stamped onto an existing PDF, and you get back a new file. The numbering is drawn onto each page as text at the position you choose, so it appears in print and in every viewer. Your file is processed locally with pdf-lib and never uploaded.
How it works
The PDF is parsed in the browser, a text element is drawn on each selected page at a margin-offset position, and the modified document is re-serialised for download. The original file on your disk is untouched.
- Six positions: bottom or top, left, centre or right. Bottom centre is the usual choice for a report.
- Three formats: the number alone, "Page 5", or "Page 5 of 24".
- The starting number and the first page to stamp are separate settings, which is what you need when a cover page should not be numbered but the count starts at 1 on the page after it.
- The number is drawn in Helvetica at the size you pick, in an embedded standard font so no font file is needed.
The stamp sits on top of existing content. If a page already has a footer at the same spot the two will overlap, so pick a position the document leaves clear.
Examples
A report with a cover page
Start on page
2
Start number
1
Result
The cover is unnumbered; page 2 of the file is stamped "1"
Separating the two settings is the whole point. Numbering from page 2 with the count starting at 1 is the standard convention for a report with front matter.
Page X of Y
Format
Page 5 of 24
Pages
24
Result
Each page reads "Page n of 24"
The total is the number of pages actually stamped, not the file length, so it stays consistent when you start numbering partway through.
Frequently asked questions
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. It is read and rewritten entirely in your browser with pdf-lib. This matters for the documents that usually need numbering (contracts, reports, submissions) where uploading to a free web service is a real disclosure.
Can I remove the numbers afterwards?
Not from the output file. The number is drawn into the page content, exactly like any other text, and there is no separate layer to strip. Keep the original file if you may want to renumber.
Why do the numbers overlap my footer?
Because the stamp is drawn on top of whatever is already there. Choose a different position, or increase the margin so the number sits below the existing footer.
Can I number only some pages?
Yes. Set the first page to stamp, and every page from there to the end is numbered. Numbering an arbitrary subset in the middle is not supported, because in practice the requirement is skipping front matter.
Does it work on a scanned PDF?
Yes. The number is drawn as new text regardless of whether the underlying page is a scan or real text, so a scanned document numbers exactly the same way.